Cartridge-shell



(No Model.)

Wmme@ iwP.'TLER.

CARTRIDGE SHELL. Y

Patented June '7,1887L UNITED STATES 4PATENT @Finca PAUL BUTLER, OFLOVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

CARTRIDGE-SHELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,213, dated June 7,1887.

Serial No. 166,903. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL BUTLER, of Low ell, in the county of Middlesexand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Oartridge-Shells,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to metallic cartridgeshells; and it consists inpreparing the paper or other fibrous reenforce of such shells with somecomposition in .the nature of a lling material and inserting it into theshell under conditions which will cause it to t to the metal of theshell with the effect and substantially as hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear end View of a metalliccartridge-shell. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section,showing the re-enforce.

A is the metallic shell, and B is the re-enforce formed of paper or somesimilar fibrous material. The shell is stamped and drawn from soft metalin the usual manner, and the re-enforce is inserted in any usual andWellknown manner. 'When the paper re-enforce 1s made in the usual way bystamping or pressing out the paper, however, it is found practicallyimpossible to draw the shell down below a certain degree of thinness,because the amount of moisture contained in the paper under ordinaryatmospheric conditions causes the re-enforce to shrink away from themetal of the shell slightly at the line b of the seam between them. Thisallows the gases created bythe explosion of the powder to enter the seambetween the re-euforce and t-he metal of the shell all around, or insome parts of it around the line b, and to exert great force upon themetal at this point, and to fre quently so burst or strain it as torender the shell incapable of being reloaded and used repeatedly, unlessthe metal is left of sufficient thickness to resist this strain. If themetal be made thicker at this point or line and from it toward the headof the cartridge-shell, and thinner from any point or place toward theopen end of it, to save metal, the unequal resistance of the differentthicknesses of metal will cause the force of the explosion to burst theshell at the junction of such thick and thin portions. Thus thethickness of the shell at the line b practically vregulates its thickAness elsewhere in its cylinder. It is to overcome these difficulties andenable the shells to be made .thinner and effect a saving of metal inthem, while retaining suflicient strength for use, as described, that myinvention is made. Before inserting the re-enforce B in the metallicshell I soak the same in some suhstance or composition which will expelthe moisture from it, and fdl its pores and bers, so as to preserve itsproper elasticity and prevent its shrinking away from the metal, asdescribed, and which will also remain in the re-enforce under theordinary conditions of g heat and exposure to which such shells aresubject, and not be absorbed therefrom into the powder by capillaryattraction or absorption, and so destroy the explosive properties of thepowder. For this purpose I have found stearine, or Japan wax, orbeeswax, or other similar wax, or a compound of wax and tallow, or waxand similar substances in which no free oleine exists, quite sufficient.The proportions of wax and tallow may be somewhat varied, according tothe density'of the paper and length of time which it is soaked therein;but I have found one-fourth part of tallow and three-,fourths parts waxmelted together to be efficient, and a soaking of fteen or twentyminutes for paper of the density commonly used.

In all cases where tallow or any lubricant containing oleine is used asan ingredient care must be used to not employ a suhcicnt proportion ofthe same in the mixture to have the oleine escaping from the re-enforceand causing shrinkage of the same and injury to the powder undersubsequent keeping of the loaded shell.

Any other similar substances to the abovedescribed mixture of wax andtallow, or mixtures thereof, may be used-*such as gums or resins-whie'hwill accomplish the result desiredi. e., remain in the re-enforce and beelastic and non-shrinkable.

It may be found expedient to warm or heat the re-enforce after beingsoaked in the waterproofing elastic substance or compound, as abovedescribed; but I have found the heat generated by the punch in stampingthe re- IOO enforce into place in the shell amply sufficient therefrom,and fixed in the bottom and rmly 1o to seat the re-enforce in place andcause ib to against the outer cylindrical Wall of the chamadhere to themetal of the shell in most eases. ber of the shell by pressure7substantially as What I claim as new and of my invention described, 51s- The combination of the metal shell A with j PAUL BUTLER' tbeelasticnon-shrinkable re-en force B, formed Vitnesses: of paper saturated withthe moisture-proof DAVID HALL RICE, elastic substance, or mixturenon-absorbent; LEPINE HALL RICE.

